Cindatalie: The 39 Clues' Version of Cinderella
by estival.rain
Summary: Natalie has always worked nonstop in her home for her stepfamily. But when the opportunity to marry Dan Cahill, heir of the Cahill fortune, comes up, will she get her happy ending after after all? For the Fairy Tale Contest.
1. Hopes And Dreams

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter One. Hopes and Dreams

It was almost dawn, and the sky over the horizon was beginning to change color. Natalie Kabra was fast asleep in the storage room, in the apartment in Manhattan where she lived with her stepmother, Mary-Todd Holt, and two stepsisters, Reagan and Madison. Her lovely face wore a happy smile, for she was dreaming of her childhood – back when her father, Vikram Kabra, was still alive.

The apartment had been filled with love and laughter in those days, but there had always been a touch of sadness as well. Natalie barely remembered her mother, Isabel Kabra, but she knew her father had missed his wife very much.

Sometimes Natalie would see him gazing at the picture of her mother in his wallet. "Are you feeling sad, Father?" Natalie would ask, looking up at him.

He would always smile at the question. "How could I be sad?" he would ask as he swung her up into his arms. "I have the most beautiful little girl in the world as my daughter!"

Natalie would hug him tightly. She adored everything about her father – his bright smile, his elegant clothes, his friendly manner, his handsome mustache.

In turn, the kind gentleman doted on his daughter. He provided her with the finest of everything, from clothes to toys to tutors. He often took her to go to Central Park, or to go shopping at one of the malls. He spent hours buying clothes, shoes, and accessories with her in shopping malls, buying so much that all of the shopping bags could hardly fit inside the extra car which was specially used for bringing the bags home. Natalie couldn't imagine a better life than living with him in their apartment.

But her father wasn't so sure that their life was truly complete. He felt that his daughter needed a mother's care. That was the reason he proposed marriage to a local widow, Mary-Todd Holt. She was a handsome woman from a good family, with two daughters of her own – he was certain she would be the perfect stepmother for Natalie.

"I think this is the best for all of us, my dear," Natalie's father told her. "You will have a mother again. And little Reagan and Madison will be the sisters you never had. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful, Father," Natalie replied.

Though she knew she would have to get used to sharing her dear father with the newcomers, Natalie really didn't mind the idea of marriage. She hoped that having a new wife would make her father less lonely. Perhaps it would even make her own life better.

At first, that wish seemed to come true.

"What a beautiful child!" Lady Mary-Todd cooed upon meeting her new stepdaughter for the first time. "Such lovely black hair, and such a pleasant face! Why, I don't remember ever meeting a young lady so charming."

"Thank you," Natalie responded politely, curtsying just as her father had taught her. She noticed that Reagan and Madison were scowling at her, but she didn't worry about that. She was sure they would all be the best of friends before long.

For a while, life at the house was as pleasant and calm as ever. At first, Natalie tried to befriend her new stepsisters. But Reagan and Madison were more interested in working out at the gym or swimming in the pool than they were in shopping at the malls with Natalie. And so Natalie continued shopping alone or with her father. But even though Natalie's new stepsisters were rather idiotic and were obsessed with sports, their mother always treated her stepdaughter so kindly. So Natalie was happy.

Everything changed the day that Natalie's father died unexpectedly.

Vikram had been sick for a while, but the doctor had never thought that he would die. But the day before he died, he called his eleven-year-old daughter over to his bed. "Natalie, there are a few things I want to give to you. Pull out the three chests under my bed."

Natalie did as she was told, and pulled them out. One was gold, one was silver, and one was bronze.

"Open the gold one." She opened it, and she saw three silver dart guns, with 20 small boxes.

"Natalie, carry at least one of the dart guns with you at all times for self protection. In each of those boxes, there are 5 darts. Each box contains a different type of dart."

Natalie nodded, too overwhelmed to say anything. Why would she need dart guns? And why did her father have them?

"Now, open the silver one." This one was entirely filled with small boxes, and there was about fifty of them.

"In each of the boxes, there is a vial of poison. Each vial contains a different poison. Use these only in the case of an emergency."

Natalie nodded again. And why was her father giving her dart guns and poisons? She was only an normal eleven-year-old girl, after all. It wasn't like she needed them.

"Open the bronze chest." Natalie did as she was told, and saw that it was partly filled with beautiful gowns and dresses, and also contained lovely accessories.

"These were your mother's. Keep them – you may need them when you grow up." She saw her father wipe a tear from his eye.

She nodded, for the last time. She was confused. Why was her father giving her all this stuff? "Now go," her father told her, and she hugged him, and carried the chests, one by one, back to her room.

The next day, Vikram died.

It was only then that Mary-Todd's true nature was revealed. Freed from her husband's watchful eye, she showed herself to be cold, cruel, and bitterly jealous of Natalie's sweetness and beauty. She was determined to provide the best life for her own daughters, but their awkward manners, homely appearance, and huge muscles were only magnified beside Natalie's charms. So Lady Mary-Todd did all she could to dull those charms. She forced Natalie to dress in ratty T-shirts and tattered jeans, live in the tiny storage room in the apartment, and wait on her stepfamily hand and foot, night and day.

Sometimes Natalie felt she had no friends left in the world, aside from her father's old dog, Ian, the friendly birds that came in from the window every morning, and the little mice that lived in the walls of the house. Still, she never lost her kind, generous nature. And she never gave up her dreams of being happy again someday.


	2. Morning Chores

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Two. Morning Chores

RING! RING! RING!

The first thing Natalie Kabra heard that morning was her stupid, almost broken alarm clock ringing in her ears.

She resisted the temptation to press the snooze button. Her stepfamily would be _really_ angry if they found out that she had slept in.

Natalie opened her eyes, yawned and stretched.

Right in front of the window, two little birds, Ned and Ted, were arguing, oblivious to the fact that Natalie was awake.

Their sister, Sinead, flew in right between them, and perched on Natalie's bedside table. "Hi, Natalie!" she chirped.

"Good morning, Sinead," Natalie replied, smiling.

Ned and Ted turned around and saw Natalie and Sinead. They flew over quickly and Ned said, "Sorry, Natalie..."

"... we didn't know you were awake," Ted continued.

"Anyways..."

"Hi!"

"Whatever," Natalie told them, rolling her eyes.

"Well, hello there, Natalie," the birds' father, Alistair, flew in.

"Good morning to you too, Alistair," Natalie replied as he perched on her bedside table, along with Sinead, Ned, and Ted.

Natalie went over to the mirror on the other wall, and took her comb out from the drawer. She undid her hair from the ponytail holder and combed her long, black hair until it was completely untangled, then put it up in a ponytail, again.

Just as she was about to get her jeans and T-shirt and change, she saw a little head pop out from the mouse hole underneath the mirror.

"Good morning, Broderick! Come out!" she smiled as Broderick came out of the hole.

"Hi, Natalie! Just wait a minute, I need to help Jonah get out, he's having difficulty going in and out of the mouse holes..." Broderick told her, turning around to face the mouse hole.

After heaving and pulling on Jonah's tail, Jonah finally got out. "Jonah, you seriously need to consider going on a diet," Natalie told him, her face serious.

"Hey, I'm not fat!" Jonah frowned and pouted.

"Sure you aren't!" she said, smiling at the expression on Jonah's face.

She went over to her tiny closet and got out one of the two pairs of jeans that she owned, and a plain black T-shirt.

She changed quickly, made her bed, and tidied her bedroom up. Well, it wasn't really a bedroom, but she liked to think of it as one.

Natalie walked out of the room and headed towards the kitchen, opening the curtains to let the sunlight in as she walked. She moved as quietly as possible, trying not to wake her stepfamily up, mostly because they would be furious if she did.

Deep down, the apartment still felt like home, and she didn't mind doing her part to take care of it. But why did she have to do everything? Why did Reagan and Madison get new clothes every season, when Natalie was forced to make do with a few tattered T-shirts and ripped jeans? Why did the sisters spend their days with private tutors, while Natalie tried to fit in enough time for school between preparing meals, doing laundry, and scrubbing floors?

Still, she tried not to think about such things too much. She had learned long ago that it was easier to do as she was told than resist her lot in life. When the chores were done promptly and well, her stepfamily left her alone – usually. They were busy enough with their own problems. Reagan and Madison were now adults, having just finished high school (Natalie was at the same age), and Lady Mary-Todd was determined to find them a suitable college. It wasn't an easy task, however. The two girls had grown from awkward, demanding, and unpleasant little girls into awkward, demanding, and unpleasant young women. Was it any wonder that no universities had accepted them yet?

Still, Lady Mary-Todd refused to give up, doing all she could to make her daughters to make her daughters more eligible, from hiring the finest tailors to make their clothes, which they didn't really care about, to teaching them the arts and skills young ladies of their class should know, although Reagan and Madison refused to learn properly, saying that all they wanted to do was to participate in the Olympics.

Tiptoeing to one of the doors in the hall, she cracked it open. Inside, her stepmother slept in a huge king-sized bed. Beside the bed was an elaborate little bed where Lady Mary-Todd's fat black cat, Hamilton, slept. He was curled up there now, snoring contentedly.

"Here, kitty, kitty," Natalie called softly.

Hamilton heard her. Opening his sly green eyes, he looked at the girl in the doorway. He stood, stretched – and laid down again with his back to her.

Natalie frowned. It was easy to lose patience with the stubborn, selfish, cat. "Hamilton!" She snapped. "Come _here_!"

The cat scowled. But he knew better than to disobey – at least before breakfast. Jumping down from his bed, he slunk out the door after Natalie.

"It's not my fault if you object to an early breakfast," Natalie told him as she led the way toward the kitchen. "It's certainly not my idea to feed you first."

In the kitchen, she poured a bowl of milk for the cat and greeted Ian, her dog, who was picking a piece of dust from his otherwise spotless fur.

Natalie tossed out some grain for the mice and birds and watched as the birds, who had followed her, flew down to eat, and as the mice popped out of the holes and ran over. Natalie always made sure there was extra food for her little friends, even though she knew her stepmother wouldn't approve. Sometimes it was convenient to be the only one who paid attention to the working of the household!

Meanwhile, Hamilton had left his breakfast and was stalking Jonah. The cat watched, his tail twitching, as Jonah struggled to pick up several kernels of corn and carry them back to his hole. Finally, Hamilton pounced, trapping Jonah behind a broom in the corner. Aha! He had the mouse right where he wanted him...

But both Broderick and Ian weren't going to let Hamilton catch their friend. With Ian's help, Broderick pushed the broom over, and it conked Hamilton on the head as it fell. That gave Jonah enough time to race inside and hide under one of the teacups Natalie had set out for breakfast.

Natalie didn't notice the cat's antics. She was too busy worrying about the time as she tried to get everything done. It was getting late – if she didn't hurry with the breakfast, her stepfamily would wake up before she got there and then –

"NATALIE!"

"All right, all right!" Natalie raced over to the table. "God, morning, noon, and night..."

"NATALIE!" another shrill voice rang out.

"Coming, coming," Natalie muttered, though she knew her stepmother and stepsisters couldn't hear her. Gathering up the three breakfast trays, she headed up the stairs.


	3. A Busy Morning

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter Three. A Busy Morning

As Natalie entered the first room in the hallway, she didn't realize that poor little Jonah was still hiding under one of the cups on her trays.

"Good morning, Madison," Natalie greeted her sleepy stepsister politely. "Sleep well?"

Madison responded with a grunt. "As if you cared!" she added crossly. Then, she pointed to a large pile of wrinkled clothes on the floor. "Take that to iron and have it back in an hour. One hour. Is that clear?"

Natalie set down one of the trays and picked up the clothing with her free hand. "Yes, Madison," she said, rolling her eyes.

She moved on to the next doorway. Once again, she walked inside and set down one of the breakfast trays.

"Good morning, Reagan," she said.

"Well, it's about time!" Reagan responded in a huff. "Don't forget the mending. And don't take all day to get it done, either!"

"Yes, Reagan." Once again, Natalie exchanged the tray for a basket of clothes and rolled her eyes. Then she left and headed for her stepmother's bedroom.

Mary-Todd was sitting up in bed, waiting for her breakfast. Natalie hesitated in the doorway, a little unsure whether to go in or not.

"Well, come in, Natalie," Mary-Todd said. "Come in."

"Good morning, Stepmother," Natalie said.

Mary-Todd didn't return the greeting. As usual. "Pick up the laundry and get on with your duties," she said coldly.

"Yes, Stepmother," Natalie said, setting down the final tray and picking up a third basket of clothes.

As she returned to the hall, a scream rang out from the second doorway. "Mom! _Mom_! _**MOM**_**!**" Reagan screeched.

A moment later Reagan burst into the hall, still dressed in her pajamas. She pointed an accusing finger at Natalie.

"_You_ did it!" she shrieked. "You did it on purpose! A big, ugly mouse under my teacup!" She raced into her mother's room.

Natalie immediately looked for the cat. She spotted him crouched near the doorway. "All right, Hamilton," she said. "What did you do with him?"

She reached down and picked the cat up, releasing Jonah, who had been trapped under Hamilton's paws. The fat little mouse scooted away between Natalie's legs, heading for the nearest mouse hole, where he celebrated his freedom with his friends.

But Natalie knew there was more to come. Sure enough, her stepmother's voice rang out a moment later – "Natalie!"

Natalie reluctantly returned to her stepmother's room. Reagan and Madison smirked as she entered.

"Are _you_ going to get it!" Madison taunted.

Natalie tried to explain that she hadn't hidden the mouse there on purpose, but her stepmother wouldn't listen. Instead, she punished Natalie by assigning her extra chores.

"The large carpet in the living room –" she said with a hiss. "Clean it! And the windows, including the ones in the living room – wash them! Oh, yes, the tapestries and the draperies –"

"But I just finished –" Natalie interrupted in protest.

Mary Todd didn't let her continue. "Do them again!" she cried. "And don't forget the balcony, then scrub the bathtub, sweep the halls, clean the toilet, and of course there's the mending and the sewing and the laundry."

Natalie slumped under the weight of her stepmother's words. How could one person be expected to do so much? But she didn't argue. She knew it wouldn't do any good. Instead, she got to work.

It wasn't easy getting everything done, especially when her stepsisters kept interrupting with extra tasks. As Natalie was sweeping the kitchen floor, Reagan burst in. She was holding her embroidery hoop. "Natalie, these dumb old threads keep getting tangled," she complained. "Fix them for me!"

Natalie sighed and reached out for the hoop. It wasn't that she minded helping – she knew that Reagan was hopeless with a needle. But she would have minded less if her stepsister ever said a simple "please" or "thank you."

"Here you go," she said, quickly untangling the threads. "If you hold them to one side with your free hand, they shouldn't get tangled as easily."

Reagan grabbed back the hoop. "I certainly don't need any tips from _you_," she snapped. "What do you know about embroidery?"

Turning up her nose, Reagan stalked out of the room. _What was wrong with her? _Natalie thought. _I was only giving her some _advice. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she merely sighed and went on with her work.

A little while later, Natalie walked down the hall, carrying a load of laundry. She heard muttering coming out of the parlor. When she glanced inside, she saw that Madison was standing at her easel with a paintbrush in her hand.

"What are you looking at?" Madison said sourly. "Go away."

Natalie started to move on. But suddenly Madison called her back.

"Wait!" she yelled. "Get in here. I can't get the right shade of blue for the sky in my painting. Mix it for me – and make sure it's right."

"I'll try," Natalie said, taking the tubes of paint from her stepsister. She quickly added a bit of cloudy white, then a smidge of ocean blue, until she had created a perfect azure blue summer sky.

She dabbed a bit of the paint on Madison's canvas and stared at it. Oh, to be out having a picnic under a clear blue sky, thought Natalie

Natalie didn't realize her stepmother had entered the room until she heard her clear her throat. "That doesn't look like the laundry soap you're holding, Natalie," Mary-Todd said cooly.

Natalie dropped the paint palette, startled. "I-I'm sorry, Stepmother," she stammered. "I was just –"

"She was just trying to ruin my whole painting!" Madison interrupted. Snatching the canvas off the easel, she shoved it in front of her mother. "See? She smudged up the whole sky! It will never look right now!"

"Never mind, Madison," Mary-Todd said. "I'll see that Natalie works off the cost of a new canvas. But now, it's time for your music lesson. Come along."

"Oh, Mother," Madison whined. "Can't we just skip music lessons today?"

Mary-Todd frowned. "Not if you want to become a proper young lady and get into a proper university," she said. "Now come along – let's find your sister."

As they swept out of the room, Natalie bent down to clean up the paint. She hated her stepsisters' music lessons – they filled the whole house with their screeching – but at least they would be busy for a while. Maybe now she could catch up on her chores.


	4. An Invitation

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter 4. An Invitation

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Arthur Trent, CEO of Madrigals & Co. said, still staring out the window, not turning around to look at who it was.

Shep, Arthur's advisor, best friend, and cousin walked in and seated himself in the chair across from Arthur's.

"Are you sure? I mean, he is still young –" Shep said, only to be interrupted by Arthur.

"Dan is old enough. He's eighteen, for God's sake," Arthur snapped, turning around to face Shep.

"But he still has to go to college and –"

"He can go after he's married."

"Does he really have to –"

"Yes, he _does_ have to be married this soon."

"But wh–"

"Because I don't want to die before I see my grandson!"

"But you won't –"

"Just in case."

"But what if –"

"He must like at least _one_ of the girls in Manhattan."

"But what if he doesn't –"

"I'll choose for him, then."

"But what if he doesn't like –"

"He'll just have to."

"Fine. Then –"

"Send out the invitations."

"Oka–"

"Go!"

"Ye –"

"Oh, and Dan wants Amy and Saladina to get married, too! Now go!"

Shep didn't bother to reply this time and hurried out of the office quickly.

* * *

A few minutes later, Reagan and Madison were in the music room in the middle of their lesson. Reagan blew a shrill, off-tune note on the flute, while Madison attempted to sing along. Their mother accompanied their song on the piano.

Natalie winced as she listened from the hallway, where she was scrubbing the wooden floorboards. Who knew two people could hit so many wrong notes in such a short period of time?

She scrubbed as quickly and as loudly as possible, trying to cover the noise of the horrible screeching. Somehow, this seemed to make the work go faster. Soap bubbles floated up from her bucket, filling the air with their bright, weightless shapes, catching the light and reflecting beautiful rainbows of color.

Natalie could see her own reflection in them – a girl in ratty jeans and a T-shirt, on her hands and knees, scrubbing the floor. Soon, she started to daydream – she was dressed in a beautiful gown adorned with sparkling jewels, dancing beneath a canopy of stars...

Then the pleasant dream burst, just as suddenly as one of the bubbles, when she noticed Hamilton crossing the room. His muddy feet left dirty tracks all over her nice, clean floor. The cat paused and glanced at her with a smug, satisfied look.

Natalie grimaced, and decided not to scream at the cat, seeing as that would anger her stepfamily.

However, though, she took a vial of poison from her pocket, and showed it to the cat.

Hamilton paused, and stared at her, bored. Natalie then took a tissue from the box on the table, and carefully put a drop or two on the tissue.

She smirked as she saw Hamilton run away, after seeing that the liquid had burned a hole in the tissue. He probably thought that that would burn a hole through _him_, too.

Natalie sighed and prepared to start scrubbing at floor, again, when she saw that an envelope had come in through the mail slot out of the corner of her eye.

She walked over quickly and picked up the envelope, which had the words** 'MADRIGALS & CO.**' printed on the back.

Natalie thought about opening it herself, but quickly decided not to. After all, Mary-Todd would be _extremely_ angry if she found the envelope, with the seal broken, in Natalie's room.

She quickly opened the door, to check if anyone was there, but no one was.

Natalie closed the door, and headed to the music room, knocking on the door.

"Yes?" Mary-Todd's voice snapped from the inside.

Natalie entered the room, still holding the letter.

"Natalie!" Mary Todd said with a frown. "I've warned you never to interrupt us."

"But this just arrived from Madrigals & Co," Natalie explained.

"Really?" Madison exclaimed, rushing towards Natalie. "Give it to me!"

Reagan was right beside her. She shoved her sister out of the way and snatched the letter. "Let _me_ have it!" she cried.

"NO!" Madison wailed. "It's _mine_! You give that back!"

Natalie rolled her eyes at their behavior.

Mary-Todd stepped forward. "_I'll_ read it," she announced, taking the letter from her daughters. As all three girls watched, she opened the envelope and scanned the letter. "Well," she said. "There's to be a ball."

"A ball!" Reagan and Madison cried in delight.

"In honor of the heir to the Cahill fortune, Dan Cahill," Mary-Todd went on. "And every eligible maiden may attend."

"Hey, that's us!" Madison exclaimed.

Reagan nodded. "And I'm _so_ eligible!"

Natalie rolled her eyes. _Yeah, right, _she thought sarcastically.

Mary-Todd continued, "And you are also allowed to bring your dog or/and cat if it is a male, because Dan Cahill's dog Amy and cat Saladina are both looking for a mate."

Natalie ignored her stepsisters as they continued to ooh and aah over the news.

But, seriously? A ball? She knew about Dan Cahill, of course. He had been traveling recently, but she had overheard her stepsisters gossiping and knew that he was due to return to the kingdom any day now. She had also heard them say that Arthur Trent was eager to see his own son settled down and married as soon as possible.

Natalie had heard that Dan was very handsome, and very kind. What would it be like to meet him, perhaps even dance with him? She couldn't imagine it, and a moment ago wouldn't have dared to try. But the letter had said _every _eligible maiden...

"Why," she cried, "that means I can go, too!"

Madison laughed. "Ha!" she exclaimed. "Her, dancing with Dan Cahill?"

Reagan gave a mock bow, pretending to be Natalie. "I'd be honored. Would you mind holding my broom?"

With that, she and Madison burst into scornful laughter. Natalie frowned.

"Well, why not?" Natalie asked. "After all, I'm still a member of the family. And it says that every eligible maiden may attend."

Her stepmother glanced down at the letter, her face impassive. "Yes, so it does," she said. "Well, I see no reason why you can't go." She looked at Natalie, ignoring her own daughters' expressions of dismay. "_If _you get all your work done."

"Oh, I will!" Natalie cried, hardly believing her good luck. "I promise!" She dashed toward the door, eager to get started so there would be no chance of missing out on the ball."

"_And_," her stepmother cautioned, "if you can find something suitable to wear."

Natalie beamed at her. "I'm sure I can." After all, she still had that bronze trunk of her mother's old dresses and jewelry in her room. Surely, there would be something in there that would be suitable. "Oh, thank you, Stepmother!"

* * *

When Natalie was gone, Reagan and Madison both turned and stared at their mother.

"How could you let _her_ go to the ball?" Reagan fumed.

"She'll embarrass us –" Madison was cut off.

"I said '_if_'. _If_ she gets all her work done," Mary-Todd interrupted.

"_If,_" Madison repeated, a smug look on her face.

"Oh, _if_," Reagan repeated, again.


	5. The Perfect Gown

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Chapter 5. The Perfect Gown

Even though there were still plenty of chores to be done, Natalie couldn't resist hurrying to her room to look in the old bronze truck her father had given her. She opened it and dug through the contents. Just as she remembered, there was a beautiful white dress that would be perfect for the ball. It was a bit out of style, but the fabric was clean and in good condition.

She swung the dress around to show it to her friends, the little mice and birds, who had gathered nearby to watch. Holding it up against herself, she smiled at them.

"Isn't it lovely?" she said. "It was my mother's." She turned and pulled the gown onto the dressmaker's dummy, which she had found in one of the many shelves in the storage room.

"Well, maybe it is a little old-fashioned," Natalie added. "But I'll fix that."

Seeing as she was forced to mend and sew he stepsister and stepmother's clothes all the time, Natalie had become quick and skilled with a needle and thread. Now, finally, she would be able to sew for herself!

She grabbed her sewing basket. There was a book inside that showed all the latest fashions. "There should be some good ideas in here somewhere," she murmured, flipping through the pages.

Natalie found exactly what she wanted.

"This one!"

The mice and birds looked at the picture. They chattered excitedly, approving of her choice.

"I'll have to take away the straps and make it a strapless gown," Natalie mused, standing up and walking around the room, looking for materials. "I'll need a black sash - a ruffle - and a necklace or something to go along with it, and then I'll -"

"_Natalie!"_

The distant cry interrupted her thoughts. She frowned in the direction of the door. "Oh, now what do they want?" she exclaimed.

"_Natalie! Natalie!"_

Natalie sighed and touched the soft white fabric of the dress. "Oh, well," she said. "Guess my dress will just have to wait."

As she hurried out of the room, the mice and birds chattered amongst themselves. Though Natalie didn't seem to realize it, they could see what was happening. Natalie's stepmother claimed she would let her stepdaughter attend the ball - _if_ her chores were finished and her dress was ready. But they were sure that Mary-Todd would never really allow Natalie to go to the ball. She would be too likely to outshine her plain stepsisters! Instead, the birds and mice were certain that Mary-Todd planned to pile on the chores until there was no time left for Natalie's own sewing.

It just wasn't fair! They were determined to help their friend if it were at all possible.

And they had a very good idea about how they could do it...

* * *

Cora Wizard stood on top of the basket, and announced in her loudest voice, "Now, we all know that Natalie won't have time to sew her dress, so we're going to help her do it!"

There was cheering coming from the crowd of mice and birds below.

"Now, I'm going to assign different jobs to different people, so that we can do this quickly. We don't have much time!"

She paused for a second, and continued, "Broderick and Jonah. You two shall go and search in Reagan and Madison's rooms for the necklace to go with the dress. Be careful to not to be caught by Hamilton."

Broderick nodded, and pulled on Jonah's arm, who was slowly inching away from the mouse hole.

"Come on, Jonah," Broderick said. "You shouldn't be so cowardly."

Jonah let out a sigh and went with Broderick towards the mouse hole near the door.

"Stop," Cora commanded. "Wait until all of the jobs are assigned, and then you may go."

Both Broderick and Jonah nodded, and waited patiently as Cora continued to assign several other male mice the job of getting other things they would need for the dress from Reagan and Madison.

Cora then moved on to the birds. "Ned and Ted, you shall be responsible for getting Ian over to Natalie's bedroom, and then you shall groom him. Alistair, make sure they don't get into trouble." Ned and Ted groaned, while Alistair nodded towards Cora, who was now telling the female birds and mice what they would have to do in order to make Natalie's dress.

And so Broderick and Jonah headed off.

* * *

Broderick and Jonah walked in the mouse hole towards Reagan's room, because hers was nearer to Natalie's room, and therefore would save more time. But the fact that Hamilton preferred to stay in Madison's room, rather than Reagan's, might have affected their decision...

No such luck.

Broderick sighed, "Well, I guess we'll have to go to Madison's room, after all."

"Do we have to?" Jonah complained.

"If we want to help Natalie, yes."

Jonah heaved a sigh, and went back into the mouse hole with Broderick, headed in the direction of Madison's room.

Once they got there, Broderick peeked around, making sure that the coast was clear.

But it wasn't.

Hamilton was right there, in the middle of the room, sound asleep.

Broderick whispered, "Hamilton's asleep. We _should_ be able to get the necklace, but stay silent, in case Hamilton wakes up."

Jonah nodded and tiptoed out of the mouse hole.

Or, at least, he _tried_ to. Although his footsteps might have been a little lighter than usual, they were still pretty heavy. Broderick knew that if Jonah continued being this loud, there was no doubt that Hamilton would wake up soon.

He glared at Jonah and whispered, "I told you to stay silent!"

Jonah's eyes filled with tears, and he sobbed, "But I'm trying my best!"

"Shhhh!" Broderick hushed Jonah. "Fine, but be quieter!"

After a moment or so, he added, "Please!"

Jonah stopped, and Broderick, satisfied, continued walking towards the pearl necklace, with Jonah right behnd him, whose footsteps managed to be a little quieter.

After they finally reached the necklace, which was quite close to Hamilton, Broderick was just about to grab it and run, when Hamilton moved his paws to trap part of the necklace underneath.

Jonah was scared, and leaped back a step, but Broderick just groaned.

"_Now_ how are we going to get the necklace," he muttered under his breath.

"Come over, Jonah," he whispered. "We'll just have to pull the necklace out from under his paw.

Jonah's bottom lip quivered. "Do we have to?" he asked, his voice shaking.

"Yes, we do," Broderick sighed. "Now come over!"

Jonah trembled as he walked over, and stood next to Broderick, his hands also grabbing the necklace.

"Now, on the count of three, we pull!" Broderick whispered in his ear.

"One..."

"Two..."

"Three!"

The good news was that the necklace had came out from under Hamilton's paw.

The bad news was that the string that had been holding the necklace together had broke, and now the beads were rolling all over the floor.

And, worse, the sound of the rolling beads had woken Hamilton up.

Broderick gasped and ran, while Jonah followed him, huffing and puffing.

As they ran, both of them grabbed beads that happened to be in their path.

Luckily, most of the beads had rolled and stopped somewhere near the mouse hole.

Unluckily, Hamilton was gaining speed, and he was getting closer and closer...

Once they reached the mouse hole, both of the mice began grabbing the beads. Jonah carried them in his arms, and there were so many that he could barely hold them all - while Broderick was busy threading the beads onto Jonah's tail.

Hamilton was almost there. Broderick grabbed the tip of Jonah's tail, and zoomed inside the mouse hole.

Both let out a huge sigh of relief, and they started on their journey back to Natalie's room.

When they arrived, the dress was done, Ian was groomed - everything was done except for the missing necklace. Broderick and Jonah handed them to the mice tiredly. Cora frowned at them and remarked, "What took you so long?"

Broderick gave her a weary smile, and said, "It's a long story..."

**A/N: If you wish to view Natalie's dresses, I have the links on my profile.**


	6. Getting Ready

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N: I'm really, really sorry that I haven't updated in, like, two years. I'll try my best to finish this story. And then I'll work on the other one.**

Chapter 6. Getting Ready

When Natalie returned, Reagan and Madison were already busy choosing their outfits for the ball. Somehow, though, none of their gowns seemed to be suitable. And as usual, that meant more mending, washing, and sewing for Natalie.

"UGH! This dress is WAY too tight around the waist and WAY too loose around the chest! What idiot made this? It doesn't even fit someone like me, with such a perfect figure!" Madison ranted, struggling to take off the bright red dress.

Natalie snorted.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, YOU FOOL! COME AND HELP ME TAKE THIS STUPID THING OFF!" Madison screamed, her cheeks bright red, although it was hard to tell whether that was from the exertion of trying to take her dress off or yelling at Natalie. Or both.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, O Wondrous Madison with Her "Perfect Figure"," Natalie muttered under her breath as she approached the savage-looking girl.

"Wait," Reagan instructed. "I told you to stop, you moron!"

"Fine, fine, fine," Natalie rolled her eyes, holding her hands up.

"Dear sister, red becomes you. It certainly matches the color of your face."

Natalie snorted again.

Madison shot them both murderous looks.

"No, really, Madison. You look pretty in red. You can just borrow one of mom's push-up bras -"

At this, Natalie let out the loudest snort of all.

"JUST SHUT UP, WON'T YOU, YOU STUPID FOOL! YOU TOO, REAGAN! I AM PERFECTLY FINE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

Reagan rolled her eyes at this. "Yes, I'm sure you're very fine, dear sister. But you know, you could borrow one of mom's push-up bras and then you'd look great in that dress. About your waist, though, hmm. Well, I'm sure Natalie here would be quite happy with making it larger so it fits dear Madison, no?"

_Yes, quite happy indeed,_ Natalie thought sarcastically as she walked out the door with Madison's dress in hand.

"Where do you think you're going? See where my blue satin dress has ripped at the hip? Fix that! And press my lavender silk top, too! Mind the ruffles. Last time you almost tore them!" Reagan threw her clothes at Natalie, her aim immaculate. A little note rested on top. Natalie looked in Reagan's direction. She nodded.

_Natalie, _it read. _I'll help you go to the ball. Just ruin my sister's dress and do nothing to mine, and I swear I'll get you to the ball. _

Just then, Mary-Todd walked in. "Here's my push-up bra, sweetheart. Natalie, I have a few little things that I need done. Remember to do your regular chores as well!"

Natalie felt her heart sink as she added up all the the time it would take to do the things her stepfamily was demanding. She wanted to tear her hair out, no, she wanted to tear _their_ hair out and scream in fury and poison and shoot them with her father's lovely gifts and... and... STICK THAT WEIRD TOOL THINGY PLUMBERS USE TO GET TOILETS UN-STUCK IN EACH OF THEIR FACES ONE BY ONE AND SUCK THE AIR OUT OF THEIR BRAINS AND COVER THEIR UGLY, HIDEOUS FACES IN POOP!

As Natalie walked down the hallway, she had an idea. _Perfect_.

Well, maybe she wouldn't do that to Reagan. After all, she might need Reagan later on.

* * *

In order for her plan to commence (and for her to have time to prepare for the ball- though that didn't seem as important now) she had to hurry. And hurry she did, for she had finally found the plunger (yes, that was the name for it) as she looked out the window.

A limousine had pulled up to the front of the house.

Some of the choicest swear words ran through her mind. She hadn't even gotten her dress ready yet!

She ran up the stairs quickly, holding her plunger behind her.

Then she saw Mary-Todd, her daughters not far behind her. Without looking behind her, she placed the plunger behind the tall vase of flowers that had been a anniversary gift from her father to her mother.

How she missed her mother.

"Well, look at you, dear child. Why, you're not even wearing a dress! Are you sure you'd still like to go to the ball in that state?"

"Actually, I have -"

"You're not going? That's too bad. Girls, let's get going then!"

And Mary-Todd swept down the stairs, her violet chiffon dress brushing against Natalie's ankles. Madison followed, and Natalie couldn't help but smirk at how she appeared to be at least 6 months pregnant, with the size of her stomach. Reagan followed in her orange silk dress, avoiding Natalie's eyes.

"You traitor," Natalie hissed.

Reagan ignored her.

Natalie looked downstairs, where Mary-Todd and the girls were taking their time.

"I just might make it in time," she mused as she sprinted up the stairs for her own dear life.

The dress, as plain as it was, would have to do. After all, she was a natural beauty.

Too bad she couldn't say the same for Reagan and Madison and their "perfect figures".

Opening the door to her room, she gasped in amazement.

The gown was perfect.

It was everything she'd wished for, hoped for.

The two straps had been cut off, the top embroidered, a black sash tied around the waist, and the skirt had been enlargened.

It was a dress worthy of a princess.

Or, of a future wife to Dan Cahill.

"Surprise!" the mice cried in their squeaky voices.

"Ohmigosh! THANK YOU!" Natalie cried, her happiness evident.

She quickly changed into the gown, the white a lovely contrast against her tan skin.

Searching quickly through the bronze box her father had given her again, she put on a simple amber pendant.

She studied herself in the mirror. They matched her eyes.

Natural beauty, eh?

She ran a comb through her waist-long black hair, then sprinted back down the stairs again, a plastic bag in tow. Quickly taking the plunger from behind the vase, she stuck it in her bag.

Then she shoved it up her skirt.

_At least it's good for my posture, _she thought, remembering a lady on a particular T.V. show who did indeed look like she had a plunger stuck up her butt.

But just as she opened the door, the limousine sped away.

_I'll get you, Reagan_, she thought maliciously. _I'll get all of you, if it's the last thing I ever do._


End file.
